Two West Midlands women who are thriving in the care industry have urged the public to change their view on the career possibilities within the sector.
Kim Hutchins and Antonia Dodsworth, who both started at as support workers at Upward Care, have now spent over a decade as part of the team and are now in management roles, dispelling the general notion by many that it is a job without prospects.
“If you have the right attitude, initiative and genuinely care about people it is a place you can get on, so long as you have a supportive employer,” said Kim, who started at Upward Care just over 10 years ago.
She is now a registered manager for the organisation’s Walsall location, overseeing almost 200 staff, with the responsibility of looking after 50 service users, some with severe disabilities.
“It is somewhere you can come in with no qualifications and that doesn’t matter as you are given the tools and support to get on,” added Kim, who has a CV of professional qualifications in Health and Social Care, and is now studying an NVQ level 7, which is the equivalent to a degree.
Antonia, who started at around the same time, back in 2013, is a senior in the operations team, taking on a role where she analyses data, oversees that correct policies are in place, and even helps promote Upward Care.
“I think with common sense and a supportive management team there are some great opportunities for social care to be somewhere where people can progress,” she said.
Jane Anderson, Managing Director of Service at Upward Care said she hoped Kim and Antonia’s stories could help change the perception of the care industry.
“Working in collaboration with our housing provider partner, we have recently completed a brand-new supported living apartment complex in Walsall, providing much needed high quality homes for people with social care needs, as well as employment opportunities to the local area.
“We hope those who have a pre-conceived idea of the social care industry take notice and perhaps reconsider if this is possibly a career for them,” she said. “Good people will thrive and be given the support by us, and all good employers in this sector, which can sometimes be undervalued and have an image problem. It is vital that this message gets out as it’s too important for society to neglect,” she added.
